The Ultimate List of Hangover Cures You Need Before A Friday Night
November 1, 2019 by Dreasy
Hangovers don't justify the pleasure of last night.
Unless you're blessed with genetics, there's a better chance of preventing a hangover if you prepare for it.
In fact, millions of people look for the same stuff as you - hangover remedies.
We’re not only referring to over-the-counter drugs and popular hangover products that are already billion-dollar markets because of their efficacy.
Sometimes, the simplest hangover cure can be a combination of natural food or techniques you can try at home.
We scoured countless articles and tested them ourselves, putting together all our best tips, tricks, hacks, tried & tested methods by thousands of anecdotal evidence so you'd have 10x higher chance of preventing a hangover or curing one.
This is...
The List of Ultimate Hangover Cures
Immediate Relief
1. Consume Foods Rich in Antioxidant.
Alcohol messes with the stability of your body’s antioxidants and free radicals, which causes oxidative stress. To neutralize the free radicals caused by alcohol, consume antioxidants and detoxify your body.
a. Brew Green Tea Extract.
Green tea is the new mecca of antioxidants. It does not only soothe the inflammation caused by alcohol but it can also help offset the damage done by the booze to your liver and body. It’s also the perfect substitute for coffee as its caffeine is just enough to help us start the day without making us feel edgy.
b. Get Your Blender Ready and Make a 100% Fruit Juice.
Cherries and blueberries have effective antioxidants that can combat the inflammation that comes with the hangover. The vitamins and high fructose content found in fruits like cranberry and orange also contribute to improving the low sugar level caused by alcohol.
One famous combination is banana and honey to make a hangover smoothie. Mix in some nuts for the ultimate hangover drink. Potassium in bananas promotes normal blood pressure while honey fructose content helps eliminate alcohol that is still in your system.
c. Make a Hangover Salad With Vegetables.
Spinach has been found to be an effective hangover cure. It is enriched with folic acid, vitamin C and sulphur which altogether help ease the symptoms of a hangover. Drizzle your spinach with nuts, honey and berries to maximize the effects. Add in some carrots to detoxify your body.
d. Nibble Nuts and Seeds.
Aside from having antioxidants, nuts contain magnesium that can help restore the reduced magnesium content in your body. This helps lessen your headache and reduce the inflammation of your body.
2. Pack on The Vitamins.
Alcohol consumption lessens essential vitamins that are important for the body, especially the B-complex vitamins. Consuming foods rich in Vitamin B helps alleviate symptoms of a hangover by giving your body its required daily nutrients and relieves you from anxiety, insomnia, and dizziness.
a. Savor Some Chicken Soup.
A warm chicken soup not only alleviates your stomach but it can also restore protein to cleanse your banged-up liver. Why not try to coax your mom to cook your favorite chicken soup?
b. Treat Yourself Some Salmon.
Salmon’s omega-3 fatty acids and protein can help with the inflammation and the anxiety caused by liquor. It is an exceptional source of vitamin B and is also found to improve symptoms of lethargy and depression.
c. Make A Guacamole.
You can never go wrong with avocado. It is rich in potassium, fats, and B vitamins which will help your body rehydrate and gain the right potassium levels. Paired with salty chips, make the ultimate hangover guac snack as a quick morning meal.
3. Eat Fruits With High Water and Fibre Content.
Watermelon has a high water content and is rich in L-citrulline, which helps in improving blood flow and hydrating your body. This proves to be better than water to hydrate your body and also contributes to improving your sugar levels.
4. Mix Ginger To Everything.
Whether it is for tea or soup, try adding some ginger to your hangover food. Fortunately, ginger tea bags are on the rise and its ease of preparation makes it an efficient drink to make on a morning when you can’t even lift a single finger. Warm ginger tea not only heats up your body, but it also effectively eases inflammation of the stomach lining.
5. Chug on Electrolytes.
Instead of sports drinks, opt for coconut water which has a low level of sugar content. It has potassium and electrolytes that will ease nausea and lightheadedness. We recommend you warm the drink first to ease the stomach lining that has been irritated by the alcohol.
6. Take OTC Aspirins To Ease The Pain.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) can be your quick go-to hangover cure since you just have to easily pop a pill and wait for the pain to subside. These drugs help with headaches, dizziness, inflammation, and nausea.
A word to the wise: Taking Aspirin or other NSAIDs to alleviate symptoms caused by alcohol should be done in moderation. Your liver is already working overtime to break down and metabolize the alcohol and taking aspirin can potentially harm your liver cells. It can also aggravate certain symptoms like abdominal pain and nausea.
7. Take a Hearty Breakfast.
The fastest way to treat your hangover is to give your body what it lost. Remember: hydration THEN nutrition. If you can make yourself a passable sunny-side-up egg, make the effort to have the necessary amino acids, cysteine and glutathione that helps with clearing your liver. Trust us, it’s better than raw (we’re looking at you, prairie oysters).
Oatmeal and crackers which are rich in carbohydrates can improve your blood sugar and ease your fatigue. Even if it seems like a lot of work, what with the standing and mixing things, your deprived stomach will thank you later.
8. Drink Water.
The number one reason why you feel lethargic is because of dehydration. Contrary to popular belief, downing on another booze like Bloody Mary may ease your hangover today but will definitely come back with a vengeance. Caffeine will also worsen your headache condition because it boosts blood pressure, so water is the only beverage to go.
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9. Try Out Wim Hof Breathing.
Practitioners of the Wim Hof Method swear by it! All in a good cause since the benefits are far more rewarding than just alleviating your hangover symptoms.
Meditate your way out of a hangover and practice this breathing exercise that is also a form of modern meditation.
a. Search for a comfortable place where you can sit or lie on your back.
b. Inhale deeply, then exhale without releasing fully. Repeat this deep breathing for 30 to 40 times.
c. After your last exhalation, inhale deeply once again and hold your breath for as long as you can.
d. Once you’ve reached your limit, exhale. Then breathe in for 15 seconds.
e. Repeat these steps and notice the change in your body. You may feel symptoms like headache and nausea gradually decreasing.
10. Take a Hot Shower. Then Take A Cold Shower.
Contrary to what some people believe, you can definitely take a shower when you are hungover. However, you don’t want to jump directly into cold since it will shock your system and worsen the headache. Start with a hot shower to allow your blood vessels to expand and increase blood flow. Then slowly go to a cold shower. This will help reduce any swelling and inflammation and even numbs the nerve endings, bringing immediate relief to any pain.
Additionally, this method of hot to cold improves blood circulation and promotes the eradication of toxins from your tissues.
11. Go To The Nearest Massage Parlour.
If you don’t like taking pills and don’t have the energy to prepare elaborate meals, you can treat yourself to a massage instead. It’s been proven that a good massage stimulates your blood vessels and boosts the immune system. It can ease headaches by improving circulation and sending blood to the brain. Paired with much-needed rest, a massage can be a luxurious way to treat your hangover.
12. Increase Blood Flow To Your Head. Intentionally.
Lie down, then hang your head off the bed. You may feel strong and intense pain when you first start doing it, but you will eventually feel the pain reduce drastically to almost non-existent.
13. Dab Oil, Hydrate, Take A Nap
Applying essential oils on pressure points help relieve you from headache and nausea caused by hangover.
a. Peppermint/Eucalyptus essential oil for headache - Apply on your temples and back of the neck and feel immediate results in as little as ten minutes.
b. Ginger essential oil for nausea - Apply on pressure points where it will help relieve nausea and vomiting. Massage on the inner arm near your wrist or on your abdomen.
14. Take Cannabidiol For Pain Relief.
Try out CBD to ease the pain if you have one in hand. Some studies claim that small doses of CBD alleviate nausea and vomiting because of its antiemetic effect on the body. It lessens the sensations of the hangover symptoms, allowing your body to relax for the entire day.
Prevention
1. Avoid Congeners.
Among the list of substances that alcohol has, congeners are the most problematic. It’s the toxic stuff that the body wants to get rid off. Drinks like whiskey and tequila contain high levels of congeners which contribute to a worse hangover. Opt to guzzle colorless drinks instead, like gin and vodka and you’ll see the difference.
2. Carbs, Carbs, and More Carbs.
Eating heavy meals that contain carbohydrates, fats, and protein helps with diluting the alcohol before it reaches the liver. Fats and protein, in particular, contribute to the slow metabolization of alcohol. This method can lower the concentration of alcohol that will enter into the bloodstream as it first disintegrates in the stomach.
3. Gulp Down Electrolytes.
Arm your body with enough coconut drink or electrolyte water! Coconut water has been found to contain electrolytes that help hydrate the body and maintain your blood pressure. With enough electrolytes at your disposal, there’s a good chance of preventing dehydration and nausea that often lead to a hangover.
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4. Take Ibuprofen Before Bed.
If you are quite certain that you’ll be downing on a lot of alcohol, prepare an ibuprofen at your bedside. Make sure that you only take this painkiller to ease the impending headache. Other NSAIDs can prove to be fatal when consumed while alcohol is still in your system. Drugs with acetaminophen can cause serious liver damage when taken to ease symptoms of a hangover.
5. Pop Some Needed Supplements.
Drinking depletes your body of nutrients. What better way to prevent that is to get the upper hand and take multivitamins before hitting the sack. Better yet, improve your daily health routine and implement supplements every morning or evening to repair your body.
Other Effective Tips and Tricks
1. Challenge Yourself With Prairie Oyster.
You never would have thought that a combination of raw egg, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper can cure a hangover but many people around the globe swear by it. Perhaps it’s because prairie oyster is packed with the necessary nutrients to battle hangover that it has become a staple cure for many.
2. Sweat Out The Toxins In A Sauna.
If you don’t like to move and “sweat out the alcohol”, sauna is the way to go. However, this can include some health risks. For one, if your body is still dehydrated, forcing your body to perspire can induce a blackout. Make sure that you are properly hydrated before subjecting your body to hot steam.
3. Get Polish With Pickle Brine.
The Polish swear by it and we might as well do. According to them, the sour blend of vinegar, sugar, salt, water, and pickles can arm your body with essential nutrients, like potassium and Vitamin C.
4. Be Extreme With Bull’s Penis.
If you happen to have a dried bull penis lying around, you might as well try it out. This famous Sicilian hangover cure is said to contain nutrients that boost energy and virility.
Symptoms and Causes
1. Cause of Headache
Among the most common symptoms of a hangover, headache is the most searched problem that people want to get rid of. This symptom occurs because the alcohol dilates the blood vessels that lead to the unbearable pounding temples.
2. Cause of Nausea, Vomiting, and Stomachache
The alcohol increases the levels of stomach acid present in the body, thus irritating the stomach linings. This also causes bad breath, hypersalivation, and dizziness.
3. Cause of Dehydration and Dizziness
Because alcohol is a diuretic, it encourages the body to expel water and urinate more. Dehydration will eventually lead to sluggishness and dizziness if left unchecked.
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Dangers and Risks
1. High Risk of Liver Damage
This is especially true if you frequently use painkillers to ease the symptoms of a hangover. Alcohol contains congeners and other toxic byproducts which make the liver work overtime. Continuous binge drinking can harm your liver cells and risk your immune system.
2. Heart Disease and High blood
Overconsumption of alcohol has been highly connected with heart disease and high blood pressure. Numerous studies have pointed out that heavy drinking increases the presence of fats in the blood and weakens the heart muscles.
3. Depression
Anxiety and depression have been noted to appear on heavy drinkers, especially teenagers who are introduced to alcohol at an early age and have formed an affinity to it. The chemical imbalance caused by liquor affects the makeup of the brain and makes your mental state unpleasant.
Conclusion
Hangovers Can Be Prevented.
There are lots of ways to prevent a hangover as we have covered here. Trying all of them is commendable but don't you think it's better to have just one product solve all your hangover problems?
Supplementations and essential vitamins are essential to rid the alcohol toxins and protect your liver, and the best one we know to provide these benefits is Dreasy. It has all the nutrients and antioxidants your body needs to lessen the symptoms of a hangover. Have all the fun without the worry of having a hangover the next morning!